The Face Behind the Lens

When you get married and have kids, your focus shifts from yourself to them. If you’re anything like me, you are always snapping pictures of everyone else and are rarely seen. Shane mentioned to me one day last spring that we didn’t take enough pictures together. So I scrolled through the photos on my phone and came upon the realization that not only did I not appear in hardly any of the photos, but there were probably even fewer pictures of Shane and me together.

This made me a bit sad to think we had no photos to look back on if something were to happen to one of us and that the kids would have hardly any of me. We’d have to rely on our memories, and as you age sometimes your memories fade. I wanted to have something that we could physically look at, just in case our memories were to become unreliable. So one day I thought I’d be funny and I took a picture of myself with Shane working in the background. He thought this was hilarious, and I repeated it the next day. By the 3rd day I decided that I’d continue taking photos of myself for the next month. I tried to get a picture of both Shane and I, but it often didn’t work out that way. As hard as I tried to take 30 consecutive days of photos, life often got in the way and I missed a few days. In the end I got 31 days total and I’m pretty proud of that.

Below are the 31 days of posts that I documented on my personal Facebook page. Enjoy!

April 5

Shane mentioned the other day that we don’t take enough pictures together, so here’s day 1 of trying to fix that 😂

April 6

Shane got a kick out of my first photo, so here’s Day 2....at least he’s facing the camera this time!

April 7

Day 3 Two pictures for today! It might look like Shane isn’t even in the first picture, but I assure you he is! Can you find him?! The second picture is something I find myself doing quite often - holding ladders still so it doesn’t move on him. At least this time it’s not balanced on a table!

April 9

Day 4 So yesterday Shane worked out at the business and I stayed home with the kids, which didn’t make it easy to get a picture. But I’m back at it today! It was a very long, fast paced day of cleaning and getting the property ready for our first prom. Now we’re snuggling it up on the couch drinking some adult beverages.

April 10

Day 5 You get an early picture today because I’m off for a full day of dance competition with Soleil 💃🏼 🙌🏼 Saying goodbye to Shane from the car and he posed so well for the photo

April 11

Day 6 Spent the afternoon out at the business doing tours and other odd jobs, like hanging birdhouses that the kids made with their grandparents out of gourds. Each kid selected a spot for their birdhouse and Shane hung them.

April 15

Day 7 I’ve gone a few days between posts because let’s face it, I’m not one that likes to take pictures of myself. Which is why when I got questioned to pose for a photographer friend, I was a bit apprehensive at first. But the more I thought about it I realized this was a perfect opportunity to have someone else behind the lens that could capture images I’d actually be happy to post. Too often mothers are the ones snapping the photos and aren’t seen. If you’re one of those moms, consider doing this shoot - you won’t be disappointed!

April 16

Day 8 It’s another prom night!!! So excited for this one being it’s Tri Center’s!

April 21

Day 9 Why am I posing with the dryer?!? Well I just fixed it all by myself! Shane did help me pry the front panel off, but I did everything else by myself. Took it apart, replaced the heating element, and put it all back together. Tested it out and it finally heats up again! 🙌🏼

April 23

Day 10 A lot of long days ahead as we approach the start of wedding season. In bed before 9:30 on a Friday will probably never happen again until November!

April 24

Day 11 A bathroom remodel a week before our first wedding of the year? Why not?! 🤣 I must say though, it is going to look AMAZING once it’s finished.

April 26

Day 12 Trying to get good pictures with Shane can be a challenge sometimes - Mr. Jokester always. We’re working late tonight finishing up tables and have a beautiful backdrop to work in with the full moon. They’re going to be gorgeous!!!

May 2

Day 13 We’ve almost made it through our first wedding weekend of 2021!!! Had a prom on Friday and weddings yesterday and today. Never started off the season off like this before!

Day 13 Part 2 We survived our first wedding weekend of the year!!! Came home to the beautiful sight of our lilacs blooming like crazy and smelling amazing. Now it’s time to enjoy the rest of the night off!

May 4

Day 14 Happy birthday to this wonderful man!!!! Shane, you are the glue that holds this family together and has allowed our family to grow, in many ways. We appreciate all the hard work you do to make sure we are taken care of. We love you and hope you have a wonderful birthday!!!

May 8

Day 15 If it’s a Saturday, that means there’s a wedding! Shane’s in the background of the first picture...barely 🤣

May 9

Day 16 Not often I spend Mother’s Day without the kids. They spent the night at their grandparents’ and then went to a movie this afternoon. So after bride appointments and a showing Shane and I went out to eat (kidless!😱). Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mamas out there!

May 10

Day 17 Something a little different for today. We’ve come such a long way since our first year doing receptions. We’ve got some pretty big aspirations in the coming years and I don’t doubt we’ll make it happen. I’ve often joked with Shane about his powers to make the universe bend to his wishes, so I’m confident it will happen when the timing is right. I’ve been making goal sheets for bookings for next year and we’ve been crushing it each time. Just completed another set of goals and getting ready to make new ones. Little by little everything is falling into place.

May 12

Day 18 😂 I really just want to post this picture without a caption, but I think Shane deserves an explanation as to why he is picking weeds in his underwear 🤣. His jeans got wet today while working outside so he decided to take them off for a little bit to let them dry in the sun. Walking around pantless isn’t something he typically does! But this is a good example of why we are a by appointment only business - if we don’t know you’re coming out who knows what you’ll get from us!

May 13

Day 19 Meet Fluffy the turtle. Phoebe named it because the moss on its shell looks soft and fluffy. Fluffy made quite the journey out of the pond today and all the way across the bridge before deciding to turn around and head back.

May 15

Day 20 Started the weekend off with a wedding last night. Dance competition today and tomorrow, with a wedding that we get to actually attend and not work later this afternoon!

May 16

Day 21 Our first half of yesterday was spent at our last competition of the year. Soleil’s duet placed first and they were finally able to accept the trophy on stage. After competition we headed to a wedding where we got to be guests for a change. Had a blast hanging out as a family instead of working on a Saturday.

May 19

Day 22 Hello, my name is Maritza and I have a plant buying problem

May 23

Day 23 Ending this chaotic weekend with wedding #2 today. Dance recital and wedding #1 yesterday. Didn’t get hardly any pictures at recital because, well, I always forget 🤦🏽‍♀️

May 24

Day 24 The week my peonies start blooming is probably my favorite week of the entire year. It makes me so sad when they’re done blooming. The wind has been so strong that it snapped a few of my lupines, so I cut them and brought them inside for us to enjoy. Had to cut one peony too, I just couldn’t resist!

May 25

Day 25 It’s that time of year where we spend more time outside than inside. Yard work, playing, grilling.....I love it all!!!

May 30

Day 26 Spent the earlier part of the day cleaning up after last night’s wedding to get ready for a bunch of tours. Couldn’t resist taking a picture in the reflection of our newly hung mirror in the bathroom. Every now and again I catch a glimpse of myself and think, “Damn Shane you’re one hell of a lucky guy to have this as your wife” 🤣

May 31

Day 27 So yesterday I jokingly posted about how lucky Shane was to have me as a wife because of my amazing good looks 😂, but really I am the damn lucky one to be able to call him my husband. Aside from him becoming even more attractive as he ages (lucky bastard), he is constantly helping our family grow by taking on new experiences and teaching the kids very valuable skills. Today’s project was processing 7 of our roosters. Although the only kid willing to get their hands dirty was our germaphobe Tristan, go figure. Can’t wait to roast these suckers later on!

June 6

Day 28 Wedding hangover (when you work one and not a guest) is a real thing. Even more real when it’s a double wedding weekend. Oh so tired, but managed to squeeze in a zoom call with my sisters before calling it a night.

June 15

Day 29 Worked outside for 4 hours planting more flowers down at the business. Had no idea I looked like this most of the time 😂 Later in the afternoon I asked Shane if my back was starting to look red. He told me no, and then I saw that I shouldn’t have trusted his response when I got home 😑 Had to bury one of our bunnies today as well. 🥺 I put her under our mulberry tree (where we also have 2 kittens - it’s kind of becoming our pet cemetery). I buried her with some freshly picked grass and a sprig of mulberries for her journey across the Rainbow Bridge.

June 20

Day 30 Happy Fathers Day to this amazing guy! Working a wedding together today, so let’s see how long it takes before we annoy the crap out of each other!

June 26

Day 31 11 years ago we were wed on one of the hottest, humidest days of the year. I was 38 weeks pregnant with our Bubba man and thought I might end up having him that night. Super humid again today, but much more manageable temps! Started the day off with a parade and ending it with a wedding at our place. I secretly requested with the DJ to have him play a special song for us and to make sure Shane was in the building when he played it (thank you Jesse!) Here’s to many more years and God bless the broken road that led me straight to you!

Want to read more about our lives? Here are some other blog posts you might be interested in!

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